The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and remanded the issue of service connection for a lumbar spine disability. The hypertension claim is denied as there is no credible evidence that it was present in service or within one year after separation, nor does it have continuity of symptomatology since service. The lumbar spine disability claim is remanded due to an inadequate examination.
The deciding factor: The Board found the Veteran's statements regarding his hypertension were not credible and concluded there was no showing of chronicity in service. For the lumbar spine disability, the Board noted the VA examiner did not consider the Veteran's reports of back pain during service and after separation.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Lumbar spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 26, 2021
- Citation
- 21032363
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 21032363.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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